


Blind Justice

by scandalsavage



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Minor Character Death, minimal violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 20:04:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20570108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scandalsavage/pseuds/scandalsavage
Summary: Batman accidentally breaks his biggest rule. Jason finds him and... helps.





	Blind Justice

**Author's Note:**

> The ask:
> 
> So, you know how Bruce has been having a mental breakdown in the recent Batman comics, and he's practically alone in Gotham ATM? I keep thinking, what if Batman snapped and ends up actually killing someone? Because right now, he's patrolling alone and there's no one to pull him back when he goes too far. Except, in this situation, Jason arrives just in time to see what Bruce has done (because he's still running Iceberg). He sees the realization dawn on Bruce, of what has just happened and Bruce is trying really hard to resuscitate the criminal but it's too late. Jason can't even taunt Bruce for his actions because he can see how broken up he is about it and now they both have to live with the secret.

“B?”

Jason reaches out to put a hand on Batman’s shoulder but Bruce bats it away without so much as a glance.

Frowning, Jason moves to the other side of the person the older man is kneeling over.

Or body, he should say, after he presses his fingers to the pulse-point on KGBeast’s wrist and feels nothing but quickly cooling flesh.

This is not good.

“What happened, B?” He says it as gently as he can. He’s trying not to jump to conclusions. Trying really hard not to think about how it’ll help his case if Bruce went “too far”. Because he knows that’s selfish. Bruce isn’t him and killing someone would… well, it’ll kill Bruce. Eat him up inside until he’s no longer himself. It won’t help Jason or anyone else.

Batman doesn’t speak just stares at the body, hands resting palms up in his lap. Bloody.

“Bruce,” Jason snaps, just a little, just enough to get his attention. It works. His mentor’s white lenses rise to meet Jason’s eyes. “What happened? Did he fall or something?”

The Bat shakes his head. “No… I… I…”

“There’s no way _you_ killed him, B. So just take a breath and—”

“I did,” Bruce’s voice is quiet, a horrified whisper, scratchy and broken. Jason freezes. “I did. I… I beat him and I… I just couldn’t… He shot _Dick_ and I just… I couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to. I… I broke his neck.”

It takes every bit of training he’s received over the years, everything from Bruce, the League, the All-Caste, to not react. He’d taken his helmet off when he arrived, thought it was more personal, that it might help that Bruce could see his face.

He regrets that decision as his eyes start to sting with unwanted tears.

Leaving is an option. A very small part of Jason knows he’d be completely justified if he left Bruce to deal with this on his own. Especially after that. Those words. The thing Jason has always known, that everyone has told him he’s crazy for thinking.

That if Dick was murdered, Bruce would kill whoever dared to take him from the world.

It’s not even a monster like the Joker. It’s KGBeast, for fuck’s sake. A C-lister at best. Not a mass-murdering, death worshiping psychopath. And it wasn't vicious beat down of a kid. It was a calculated assassination attempt. Dick didn’t feel every bone in his body break, didn’t get his skin seared off, didn’t gasp for breath only to fill his lungs with smoke and suffocate. It was a bullet to the head. Quick. Humane. Except that…

Dick is not even dead. He’s alive and arguably better off without the memory of Nightwing.

Leaving is definitely his option.

Jason swallows the huge lump in his throat. Then he fits his helmet back over his head before taking a deep breath for what he’s about to do.

Batman’s eyes track Jason as he leans forward again, this time pushing his fingers against the would-be assassin’s throat.

There’s nothing different. Nothing new. The bastard is definitely dead.

But Bruce is a mess. And there’s no way his certainty that he killed the guy will hold up if Jason shoots out the foundation.

“Well, B,” he says as he stands and unholsters his gun, “Once again, you just can’t seem to bring yourself to finish the job. All these assholes who try to kill your kids? You’d think you’d manage to follow through at least once.”

The confusion has barely settled on Bruce’s face when it’s replaced by shock. Bruce flinches away from the body as Jason puts a bullet right between the Beast’s eyes.

“There,” Jason sneers, letting some of his real anger and bitterness creep into his voice. “Now the fucker who _tried _to kill Dick is actually dead. So stop feeling sorry for yourself.”

He turns and stalks toward his bike at the alley exit while Bruce gets unsteadily to his feet.

“Jason… You shouldn’t’ve—”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, old man,” Jason barks, spinning on his heel to look back at his mentor.

The grim, determined set of Batman’s jaw tells Jason his hunch was right. All Bruce needed to absolve himself was a plausible alternative.

This is Gotham. The cops won’t even do a proper autopsy. They’ll take Batman’s word for it; the wounds will match with the story and they won’t look past it.

Bruce may always suspect, may have doubts. But he’ll never be able to bring himself to face the real truth.

Jason’s insides are vibrating with anger and hurt. Tears are welling in his eyes under the helmet and he’s infinitely grateful for the electronic modulator that artificially steadies his voice.

“I’m leaving,” he says, swinging a leg over his motorcycle. “And this time, I’m not coming back. Don’t look for me. Don’t call for me. You won’t find me, and I won’t answer.”

He’s fought it for a long time; tried so hard to make it work. But this chapter of his life is over. Cobblepot can have his stupid casino when he comes to. It’s time to ditch bats and birds and the shithole that is Gotham City.

It hurts. But Jason doesn’t look back as he speeds past the city limits.


End file.
